Smears and Strategy: The conservative powerhouse behind Ray Chung

Video: The controversy surrounding Ray Chung comes as scrutiny grows over the political networks shaping Wellington’s election. (Supplied / thisquality / Paul the Other One / Quiet Pact Network Limited partnership content)

Wellington’s 2025 local election is already shaping up to be one of the most heated in recent memory.

At the centre of the storm is Wellington City Mayoral Candidate Ray Chung, a sitting councillor running under the banner Independent Together. His campaign promises independence from party politics and a focus on unity and ‘common sense,’ yet behind the surface lie scandals, coordinated messaging and a network of conservative strategists that suggest the movement is anything but unaffiliated.

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Image: Ray Chung addressing a campaign against his character related to emails he sent about Tory Whanau. Dated July 3, 2025. (Supplied / Independent Together public media)

Chung launched his mayoral bid in June with a spectacle rarely seen in local politics. Striding into the Public Trust Hall to the Rocky Hill theme song, he set the tone for a campaign built on theatre as much as being against party politics in local government. Alongside his candidacy he unveiled Independent Together, pledging to put an end to party-driven dysfunction at Wellington City Council.

Within weeks of launching a bid for mayoralty, however, the many candidates on board had shrunk to just six. The message remained one of independence and reform, but the sudden collapse of nearly half the team revealed the fragility behind the brand.

While Chung and his allies insist they are free from political ties, their campaign bears the hallmarks of careful coordination. Shared slogans, digital amplification and orchestrated messaging have been strongly linked to Better Wellington, a lobbying group backed by business interests. The group’s involvement has only sharpened questions about whether Independent Together is truly independent at all.

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Image: Mayor Tory Whanau interviewed by Paul Barlow from documentary Fabricated Consent: Astroturfs Go Local - (Quiet Pact Network / Paul the Other One / YouTube)

Controversy around Chung himself predates this campaign. In 2023, months after Tory Whanau’s election as Wellington’s first Māori woman mayor, he forwarded an email to colleagues repeating a lewd rumour about her personal life. Whanau condemned it as malicious and sexist, calling it part of a wider effort to undermine her leadership. Chung admitted sending the email but claimed he was only passing along what he had heard.

Chung described the sexist rumours he spread as a misjudgement, saying he was “wiser now,” though critics argue intent cannot erase the damage. Chung was recently investigated by police over an alleged assault outside a Johnsonville bar, though no charges were laid at this time. It raises further public questions about his judgment and behaviour in public life.

Filmmaker Paul Barlow said the rhetoric reflected a wider culture in New Zealand politics where smear tactics and rumour mills are used to weaken opponents away from the public eye.

Video: Online extremism is growing louder within Aotearoa New Zealand’s political sphere. Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau’s story explains what’s at stake for indigenous, female, and queer leaders. (Paul the Other One / YouTube / Quiet Pact Network Limited partnership content)

The playbook of sabotage emerging in Wellington mirrors tactics seen nationally and internationally.

Leaders such as Winston Peters and David Seymour have built influence through clear and often polarising messaging, an approach now filtering into local elections.

Political observers argue that attack-style culture war politics, which thrives on confrontation and clarity, is being imported from abroad and reshaped for local audiences. Progressive candidates, particularly women and minorities, have reported facing harassment, threats and fabricated scandals, a toxic climate that reveals the risks of the new political environment.

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Image: Glen Inwood (far left) - SUPPLIED, Inflection Point event

At the center of Better Wellington’s operations is strategist Glenn Inwood, a political operative with decades of experience in corporate public relations and right-wing campaigning. Inwood has worked for New Zealand First doing PR for politician Shane Jones and represented industries such as tobacco and whaling, often using front groups to influence public debate.

In 2024 Inwood helped organise Inflection Point event, a conference that promoted anti-trans ideology, questioned the legitimacy of mainstream journalism and rallied activists against political correctness.

Image: Former journalist Rachel Stewart speaking at the Inflection Point conference in New Zealand in 2024. (Supplied / Inflection Point public media)

During the event former journalist and columnist Rachel Stewart declared that “the media needs to die in New Zealand,” signalling the hard-edged worldview behind the lobbying group tied to Independent Together.

This election is no longer simply about rates, infrastructure and council services. It is about the political culture Wellington is prepared to endorse. Chung presents himself as a reformer who wants to fix a broken council. Yet the smear campaigns, walkouts, and ties to a conservative lobbying network raise pressing questions about whether his promise of independence can be trusted.

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As voters prepare to choose who represents them next, they must decide whether these are signs of strong leadership or red flags about the future of their city.

Exposé: The conservative powerhouse behind Ray Chung

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